Technical Writing Assignment Document Analysis Report

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STYLE HEURISTIC*

Style is one of those things in writing that is very subjective, but the more you work with a genre the more you will pick up on the stylistic elements. Often we do this without even realizing it’s happening. But for the work in this course, and to help you be more informed about writing in your career area, we are going to be very proactive in analyzing style. The document analysis is a worksheet that will help accomplish this.

Document Analysis

After each question, provide answers or examples from your chosen document.

First, briefly describe the document you’ve chosen.

	Doc 1	Doc 2	Doc 3	Doc 4	Doc 5
Title/Link to Document	https://psychologytools.com/unhelpful-thinking-styles.html	https://www.scribd.com/document/106644070/Art-Therapy-Proposal-by-Anne-Marie-Gray		https://www.bliss.army.mil/CRC/documents/L112_HIPPA_Form.pdf	https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/principles.pdf
Genre	Informational pictograph	proposal		Instructional	guideline
Publication Date	Original 1964	unknown		1 August 2014	1 June 2003
Audience	Psychotherapy patients, psychologist	Therapy patients, psychologists, parents, funding investors		Therapists, medical professionals, patients	Psychology Professionals
Purpose	To inform the audience about thinking patterns	To inform audience of what will happen during sessions, inform investors of materials needed, and give information about the process		To instruct the audience how to properly fill out a form	To help those in the psychology field understand what is expected of them ethically and morally
Why is the document needed in the organization?	Useful for helping understand patterns that are not useful in thinking	To inform audience on the purpose of the treatment and inform them of the schedule and events to occur		To ensure that the patient and practitioner are aware of their rights and how to fill it out so that it is valid	To ensure that the professionals understand what is expected of them and how to conduct themselves properly with the patient

Paragraphs (see TETC page 57ff)

	Doc 1	Doc 2	Doc 3	Doc 4	Doc 5
Are paragraphs long or short?	short	long		both	long
Avg. # of sentences per paragraph (select a few exemplary)	3-4	5		3-5	6
Lists?	yes	yes		yes	yes
List example	· Mind reading · Fortune telling	Materials list		Sections are listed for filling out form	Expectations are listed in a,b,c ordering
Topic Sentences?	Topic sentences are headings in each illustration	yes		yes	yes
Topic sentence example	Jumping to conclusions.	The projects are mainly used to draw out from the students, feelings about themselves and others.		First sentence explaining why one might need to fill out the form	Psychologists do not engage in sexual harassment.
Type of evidence · Direct observation and description? · Citations from research or other reports · Description of scientific or empirical data? · Anecdotes and examples?	Anecdotes and examples	Direct observation and description		Description	description

Basic Principles of Effective Style (TETC 60ff)

	Doc 1	Doc 2	Doc 3	Doc 4	Doc 5
How knowledgeable do readers need to be about the subject to understand the writing? Explain	Knowing the history of therapeutic modalities is helpful in explaining each topic.	No prior knowledge is required		None, the document explains itself	Reader needs to be knowledgeable in the field, otherwise it may be difficult to comprehend the reasoning and descriptions
Does the writing include specialized terminology, such as acronyms or jargon?	no	no		yes	yes
Specialized terminology example	catastrophizing	none		Durable Power of Attorney	Psychologists base the opinions contained in their recommendations, reports, and diagnostic or evaluative statements, including forensic testimony, on information and techniques sufficient to substantiate their findings
Are specialized terms defined or undefined?	defined	na		undefined	undefined
Can you tell where specialized terms or jargon are clearly avoided?	Nearly in all portions	avoided		Not avoided	Not avoided
Avoidance example	CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy could have been used at any point	Increase self-awareness.		na	na
Is the writing generally concise or long-winded?	concise	It is lengthy but the points are concise within the length		concise	concise
Concise/long-winded example	“assigning labels to ourselves and other people	Specific art-based therapy is a deliberate use of art-making that will address psychological and emotional needs of the students and provide them with an outlet to express their internal feelings,which they may not be capable of doing verbally or physically or are not commonly invited to do at school or home.		Each listed instruction section is brief and to the point	Psychologists do not engage in sexual intimacies with current therapy clients/patients.
How long or short are sentences? Average # of words per sentence	10-15	14		20-26	31
Is the writer concise, brief, or complex?	Concise and brief	concise		concise	concise
Example of a sentence that stands out. Explain why you chose it and what is shows.	“I’m a loser” in this instance is a thought pattern that is exampled as the first thoughts that lead to further negative thoughts. It quickly makes the point	The colours chosen will represent emotions, but the child will not be informed of this until the end. This sentence stands out to me because it reveals a purpose early that could have waited until the end.		In Section 2 you first need to indicate what time period is covered by the authorization, and then what type of information is allowed to be released.	Psychologists establish relationships of trust with those with whom they work. This sentence stands out to me because it is short and concise, but it also represents what the following content will represent.
Does the writer use active or passive voice?	active	passive			active
Example of voice	Blaming other people for something that was your fault. (understood “you” as the reader.	The child will be asked to build a sculpture			Psychologists are committed to increasing scientific and
Point of View: Does the writer use first person (“I found, I saw, I recommend” or “We should…”), second person (“you should”) or imperative voice (“First, collect materials”), or third person (“Officers must, The company ought to, There is no mechanism”)?	First person	Third person		Second person	Third person
Point of View Example	Being overly broad in the conclusion we draw.	The practitioner invites the child to take part in an activity about her/his life		you need to insert	Psychologists are committed to increasing scientific and
Is word choice simple, everyday language, or is it highly formalized?	simple	simple		simple	formalized
Word choice example	Mind reading	drawing		The form needs to be signed
What other observations about style, word choice, or sentence structure can you make?	The style is gentle and avoids blame of the audience, rather, gently explains behaviors	The style seems to be formal and focused on steps to complete the activities.		The style is very complete and concise with no fillers or unnecessary information	In doing so, they perform many roles, such as researcher, educator, diagnostician, therapist, supervisor, consultant, administrator, social interventionist, and expert witness.

Finally, return to these key questions:

How do the document’s style features of the document meet the purpose for the intended audience?

Doc2: The features in this document not only inform, but use lists and step by step guidance. For the intended audiences, it provides any and all information that may be needed to fund, implement, or explain the proposal.

Doc5: This document ensures that the professional understands in no uncertain terms what is expected of them ethically and morally.

--or-- How does the style of the document help to accomplish what the purpose of the document is?

Doc1: The documents purpose is use as informational reference to the audience to identify thought processes that are not helpful. The document does this concisely and uses examples to help any audience that may not be savvy to psychotherapy verbiage.

Doc4: This document is very complete and concise in describing its purpose and then offering instructions on how to fill out the form properly.

*Adapted from Dr. Chris Andrews Style Heuristic